Out of the Dark Take II
by Newcastle Guy
Summary: Stargate/BSG crossover. A couple of months after Atlantis returns to Earth, a chance meeting between two groups of humans leads them both out of the dark.
1. Prologue

Out of the Dark

Part 1 of the Empires Series

I don't own Stargate, or Battlestar, any of the characters, or anything else associated with the shows.

**Prologue**

**Atlantis**

Richard Woolsey stood on the balcony above the control room of Atlantis, his home. Watching the dazzling sun reflect off the North pacific always helped him to reflect on the day that had come before, whether it had been good or bad. When he began commanding Atlantis the first time, John Sheppard had told him that both Elizabeth Weir and Samantha Carter had done the same thing while they were in command. According to him, it had always helped them to cope with the great responsibility that came with the job. He had found the advice very helpful, and now stood in the same spot in the evenings, whenever he could. Sometimes even for hours. That was despite the fact that he no longer felt in control of the city.

"There you are!" Rodney McKay walked out onto the balcony looking rather flustered. Woolsey smiled, taking one last look at the beautiful red sky in front of him. "I've been looking all over for you, why is it always so hard to find you around here when you're supposed to be…"

"What's wrong, Rodney?" The older man cut him off before he could finish his sentence, wishing he would just cut to the chase.

"Oh? Nothing, nothings wrong... In fact, every thing's going fine. Really, you couldn't ask for things to go any smoother!" Woolsey stood, arms folded, and shot him a look. "Uh, yeah, I just wanted to show you something. I was skimming through the Ancient database when I came across something that I think you're going to find _very_ interesting…"

**Battlestar Galactica**

Laura Roslin lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling above her. It was a view she was becoming used too. The vitality she had felt once she stopped taking her cancer treatment was fading, and she had become something of a rare site outside of the Admiral's quarters. Despite the fact that she still held the title of President, Lee Adama was doing the bulk of the work for her. She planned that he would take the job upon her passing, she could think of nothing worse now than her title passing to Tom Zarek.

All of a sudden, a brilliant white light filled the room, and then faded again. Another jump. No doubt another failed search for new resources. Resources that were so badly needed that Roslin felt that the civilians would begin ripping each other apart if they weren't found. "Here we go again…" She lay there, staring at the ceiling for a few more minutes, before she heard someone entering the room. She gathered what energy she could and sat up, met with the sight of Bill Adama, Admiral of the fleet, and her lover.

"Laura... I've got a feeling you're going to want to see this…"


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Atlantis**

General Hank Landry stood in front of the inactive Stargate and looked across the team at the bottom of the Control Room stairs. "OK People! This is a straight forward mission, you're going to locate that outpost, secure it, and then get to work finding out whether what we want is down there. Understood?" The people in front of him gave the affirmative, and he turned to Amelia Banks, one of Atlantis' resident technicians. "Activate the Gate." With that, Amelia began dialling the address for P9X-113, and soon after the Stargate activated, causing the unstable vortex of the Stargate to form behind Landry. "Good luck."

With that, Landry stepped to the side, allowing SG-1 and SG-2 to walk through the Gate. The teams, led by Cameron Mitchell and a rather sceptical John Sheppard respectively, were the best Earth currently had to offer. Considering what supposedly awaited them on the other side, sending the best was probably a good idea. The two Colonels were followed by Ronon Dex and Teyla Emmagen, and squabbling siblings Rodney McKay and Jeannie Miller. Last through were Daniel Jackson and an excitable Vala Maldoran, voicing her belief that she was sure that this mission would be the one where she would find the Ancient treasures she so desired. A sighing Daniel pushed her through the Event Horizon, before following himself.

As the last of the eight team members stepped through, Landry turned to see that Richard Woolsey was at the top of the Control Room stairs. The two men's eyes locked for a moment, before the IOA rep turned and left the room, obviously angry.

**Galactica's CIC**

Admiral Adama and Laura Roslin stood in Galactica's CIC, staring across at each other. The room was silent while they awaited confirmation of what could possibly be the greatest news they'd heard since they'd escaped the Colonies. The tension in the room grew thicker with every passing second, until finally, a voice came through over the radio and filled the room. "Galactica, this is Starbuck." Everyone in the room tensed, not daring to move. "This baby _is_ habitable." With those four words, the room erupted, the mood changing in a split second. Smiles grew across the faces of both Roslin and Adama as they came together and embraced each other. This may not have been Earth, but it would do, for now at least.

"So Madame President, what's our next course of action?" Adama asked, still embracing her. The smile widened on Laura's face.

Meanwhile, far below the Galactica in the atmosphere of this new planet, a grinning Starbuck flew through the planet's atmosphere in her Viper, staring up at the azure blue sky, and then flipping the small ship and staring down at the emerald land below her.

**P9X-113**

"See Sheppard? I _told_ you it was here. You just wouldn't listen…" Rodney McKay was smug. Smugger than usual, and that was never a good thing. But frankly, John couldn't care less. SG-1 and SG-2 had emerged from the forest, and there it was, right in front of them. The Ancient outpost, only about 150 metres over some slightly rocky terrain. And if the outpost was there, then the Aurora Class Warship was likely just underneath.

The teams stood there, everyone in slight awe. The outpost itself was pretty damn impressive. It stood at the base of a mountain, carved into it almost as if it were some kind of old Lantean temple. Of course the reality of it, and especially what the team expected was underneath it, was much more interesting. Vala was the first one to break the silence, rubbing her hands together, a huge smile on her face. "Well then. Let's get to work." With that, the group began walking towards their destination, each one of them with nothing but the thought of an Ancient Warship on their minds.

Within minutes, they were there, at the base of the impressive structure. Cameron turned to the others before they went any further. "Right, Ronon and Vala, you guys stay up here and let us know if any uninvited guests come knocking."

The smile that had been plastered to Vala's face dropped instantly. "What?"

"I said stay here and watch for enemies."

"But... There could be..."

"There's no treasure, Vala. At least nothing small enough for you to fit down your top..." Vala crossed her arms and pouted, but Cam ignored her. "The rest of you are with me and Sheppard. I want to be in and out as quickly as possible, we're just going in there to make sure it's there. If it is, we'll call for a bigger crew to come through." The others raised no objections. "Let's get moving."

**Colonial Raptor**

Bill Adama was piloting one of Galactica's Raptors, something he rarely did himself. This time, he wanted the best view he could possibly get as they set down on this new planet. Previous flyovers hadn't detected any intelligent life, and if there were any civilizations in the vicinity then they must have been extremely well hidden. He felt bad about making Laura stay on Galactica, but until he was absolutely certain the planet was safe, he wouldn't be letting her come down, no matter how much she tried to make it. He wasn't willing to risk her life, or whatever she had left of it anyway.

"There" the Admiral said, pointing to a large open space near a mountain. The others onboard the Raptor came to the front of the vessel, attempting to get a look at their landing point. The other 6 Raptors behind them followed suit.

**Ancient Outpost**

There was relative silence outside the temple entrance, apart from the odd sigh coming from Vala Maldoran. She sat, her head resting on her palm, playing with Ronon's gun. "So... How are things going with Amelia?" she finally asked her Satedan friend as they stood 'guarding the door'. They really had gotten the crappy end of the stick.

"Not bad." Ronon replied. The silence returned for a moment.

"That's it? Come on big guy." Vala got up and moved closer to him. "Spill the beans."

The warrior smiled. "She wants to take a vacation to the Pegasus Galaxy together. For some reason she likes the idea of spending a couple of weeks alone in the New Lantean wilderness with no supplies..."

"That's her idea of a vacation?" Vala smirked. "And you don't like the idea?"

"Yeah I do. I just never thought I'd find a woman who did."

"I'm surprised myself, Dexy... But that's no reason to say no."

"Well I'm not going to, so..." Ronon stopped before he could finish. Vala began to ask what was wrong, but Ronon shushed her. Then, she heard it too. They stepped into the shadows so they weren't seen, and soon there eyes were drawn to the origin of the sound. A fleet of small ships, like nothing they had seen before, flying across the sky... and setting down right between them and the Stargate. Ronon squeezed the button on his radio. "Sheppard, Mitchell, we've got company..."

**Ancient Hangar Bay**

The team had managed to locate an Ancient transporter, and in a flash of light found themselves hundreds of metres underground. They stepped out of the transporter, which was surprising large compared to those in Atlantis, and were met with an Ancient door like those back in the city. The lights came on as soon as the team were detected, just as had happened in the outpost above. The door was directly opposite the transporter, and there was nothing more than a wall on the right, but when the team looked left they saw a corridor which stretched as far as the eye could see. "Well, looks like this is the place…" Jeannie said, cautiously.

"Oh, thanks a lot Sherlock, and for your amazing deduction?" Her brother chimed in once again in his almost trademark sarcastic manner, earning him a smack from both Jeannie and Teyla who were either side of him.

"Meredith!" Jeannie said in a stern voice. Over these past few years Rodney had grown much closer to his little sister and her family, ever since they moved with her to Atlantis. However, he still couldn't help himself. The brilliantly minded woman constantly reminded herself that he was like this with _everyone_ and not just her, and that was what best helped her cope with him.

"Come on kids, enough playing around…" Sheppard ran his hand across the crystals at the side of the door, causing it to slide open. "…Time to see what we're all on this little field trip for."

With that, the group walked into the Ancient control room, and looked out through the glass façade into a very dark hanger. They stood for a moment. "There's nothing there! There's nothing…" Rodney began saying what was on everyone's minds, but suddenly he stopped, and began staring in awe as Cameron ran his hands across the Ancient control panels causing the hangar to illuminate… revealing the pristine Ancient ship sitting there, untouched for thousands of years. It appeared similar to an Aurora Class ship, but it had obvious differences. It was larger and more streamlined in shape, and it had more of a bronze colour than it's counterparts.

"This appears different to the ships we have come across in the Pegasus Galaxy..." Teyla remarked, turning to her friends.

Daniel walked closer to the viewing glass. "Yes... the Ancients designed the Aurora Class ship while in Pegasus, as far as we know... According to the Ancient Database, this planet was used to develop ships before they even left Earth... It's a prototype..."

"...Which means it may not be as powerful or as well designed than the others, but what it could teach us a lot..." Rodney continued. "There's only so much we can learn from the schematics in the database. Actually getting into one of these ships and studying it in person... That can teach us more."

The team all looked on at the mammoth ship, there had been a nagging part of them that felt that the it wouldn't be there, but that fear had luckily been put to rest. Suddenly, Ronon's voice came over the radio, breaking the mood. The signal was weak, Sheppard putting it down to the depth they were currently at, but he could just make his friends words out… They had company.

**Colonial Raptor**

The hatch of the first Colonial Raptor opened, filling the small ship with real, non-recycled oxygen. Admiral Adama was the first person to step out and onto the ground, taking those first few steps for his entire people. He looked out over the lush green forests and the tall, imposing mountain standing above him. The sky was an amazingly deep blue dotted with light, fluffy clouds. A tear welled up in the corner of his eye. He was a strong man, but this sight made him want to fall to his knees and thank the gods for what they had stumbled across. "We've made it…" he said, quietly.

"You're damn right we have" Kara said from behind him, a massive smile on her face. She jumped down off the Raptor and placed her hands on her hips, taking in the view before her. "Just like Earth was…"

"When you were there?" asked Adama, as the other Raptors opened and Colonials began piling out.

"Yeah." Kara replied. "The first time, anyway..."

"This is amazing." said Lee as he stepped out of another Raptor, and walked to the side of Kara and his father. "I never thought I'd see something like this again…"

"Oh Lee, you should have a little more faith" Kara laughed, before walking out over the grassy plain. Lee followed, still taking in the sights.

**Ancient Outpost**

"I've never seen any uniforms like those before..." Vala took a closer look at the new comers through her binoculars. They were in the open plain and slightly lower down than the entrance to the temple, so at least the team had the high ground. The unexpected guests were in a much wider part of the plain as well, so it was possible that the team could make it back to the forest without taking casualties. But at the same time, they couldn't let these people take the Ancient Outpost, or the ship beneath. They would have to send re-enforcements back through quickly.

"So what we got?" Cameron asked, coming up beside Ronon, taking out his own binoculars.

"There's dozens of them… But I think we can take them." replied the Satedan, readying his weapon.

Daniel frowned. "Who says we have to 'take' them? Can't we talk to them instead? They aren't necessarily hostile..."

"I don't think we should take any chances" replied Sheppard, eyeing the ships of the newcomers.

**Colonial Raptor**

As Kara came about half way to the edge of the tree line, she noticed something at the base of the mountain, a reflection of sunlight in a strange looking structure. She realised straight away what that meant… She casually turned around, and began walking back towards the Colonials. She stopped Lee who had been following her, and hugged him, bringing her mouth close to his ear. "There's toasters up there… Watching us." Lee's eyes flicked over, and he caught another flash as the sun reflected off of what they hadn't realised were a pair of binoculars.

"I see them." He replied, and they both began walking back to the Raptors. Eventually, Kara broke into a run, trying to make it look like she was just being competitive with Lee. Up above, Cameron was growing suspicious, and warned the team to get ready to head back to the Gate.

Kara was now within twenty metres of the closest Raptor. "Toasters!" she shouted out a warning to the Colonials at the top of her voice, it echoed across the plain and even the expedition members heard it. Immediately, the Colonials began drawing weapons, they were ready to fight.

**Ancient Outpost**

"Did she just say Toasters?" Jeannie asked, but no one had time to answer as a bullet from a sniper embedded itself in one of the columns of the outpost, almost clipping Rodney and causing him to become hysterical.

"Well so much for your Mr. Brightside approach!" he shouted, turning to Daniel.

"Alright, we're not sticking around to find out why they fired on us!" Cameron darted off to the edge of the tree line, gesturing for the others to follow him. McKay and Vala raced ahead alongside him, with Daniel and Ronon in the middle. Teyla and Sheppard brought up the rear, running alongside Jeannie who still hadn't quite got the hang of this part of the job. "Keep running! If we're moving they'll find it a hell of a lot harder to hit us!" Sheppard called out, hoping that his advice proved true on this occasion. He finally reached the tree line, and noticed that the crazy soldiers were running towards them. He got everyone past, and Jeannie and Teyla were just about to reach him, when one of the enemy soldiers got in a lucky shot, causing McKay's younger sister to fall to the floor.

Jeannie screamed in agony as the bullet pierced her leg. Teyla dragged her to the edge of the tree line as Ronon and Daniel came running back. Rodney was too far ahead to know what had happened, and ran to the Gate as fast as his legs could carry him, thinking everyone was still behind him and not realising that only Vala and Cameron were, the two others also oblivious to the fact that Jeannie had been shot.

"Get her back to the Gate, me and Teyla will provide cover fire!" Straight after giving the order Sheppard had his gun pointed at the Colonial soldiers, with Teyla following suit. The others grabbed Jeannie and helped her get out of the line of fire, feeling bad about leaving their friends behind but following John's order regardless.

**Tree Line**

Kara Thrace ran towards the enemy Cylons as fast as she fraking could, prepared to fire them as soon as she had a clear shot. Suddenly, a hail of bullets came towards them taking out three of the marines, causing both Starbuck and Apollo to dart for the tree line. "Mother frakers!" Starbuck looked at Apollo as they ran, they knew what to do. They would block off the toaster's means of escape, and then make them pay.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Colonial marines sprinted towards the enemies' position, all guns blazing. Teyla and John decided it wasn't a good idea to stick around any longer and began running through the forest towards the Gate, but before they could get away two Colonials appeared behind them, jumping out of the trees, one taking aim at Teyla and pulling the trigger.

"Teyla!" Sheppard watched as his friend fell to the ground, and ran back to her, only for Starbuck to jump out in front of him. "Crap…" Starbuck smiled a wry smile, before smacking the man in the head with the butt of her gun. Sheppard was knocked unconscious, seeing nothing other than the very happy look on the blonde woman's face as she hit him.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Atlantis**

Jennifer Keller was called to the Control Room the second the off world team returned from their mission. They had come back much earlier than expected and from what she could determine, they had been attacked. Skirmishes with enemies were few and far between now, the Galaxy was in relative peace since the fall of the Ori and Ba'al. As Jennifer ran through the hallways of Atlantis with a team and a stretcher she was worried that her fiancée was the person she had been called on to save.

As she came into the Control Room with her team she saw a number of people standing in front of the Gate, crowding around one figure on the floor. As she got closer she saw it was Jeannie Miller, McKay kneeling by her side telling her she would be alright. Jennifer instructed her team to get Jeannie onto the stretcher, taking a closer look at the wound, before turning to look at Jeannie "OK, you're going to be fine but there is a lot of bleeding, we're going to get you straight to the infirmary and get you fixed up, OK?"

Jeannie was in a great deal of pain, but she knew she would be alright. "Yes...Thanks…Thank you…" while the two women were speaking they didn't realise everyone else had gone quiet. They turned to look and noticed the Gate had deactivated. At first Keller wasn't sure why that was a bad thing considering there were enemy forces on the other side, but after skimming quickly across the group she discovered why… John and Teyla hadn't made it through.

**Galactica Brig**

"You're awake!" Teyla Emmagen awoke in a small cell, with John Sheppard sitting in the one next to her.

"Yes… what happened?" She asked, confused and holding her head.

"You were shot" Sheppard replied. "If you were wearing anything other than your off world gear you'd have been dead by now. When you fell you hit your head, it knocked you out. Are you feeling alright now?"

"I'll be fine, John… So where exactly are we?" Teyla had noticed the guards at the door, seemingly ignoring them but in actual fact taking in every single word that was said between the pair. There had been four, but one had left as she woke up.

Sheppard held up his hands and shrugged his shoulders. "I really don't know. We've never met these guy before. Some of the technology looks like a weird take on what we've got on Earth." As he was talking, his friend noticed the gash above his head. John noticed she was staring. "Oh this? Yeah… you weren't the only one to get knocked out…"

**Galactica Wardroom**

Bill Adama sat in the wardroom aboard the Galactica. To one side of him sat Kara, Lee, and Saul Tigh. To the other, Laura Roslin, Ellen Tigh and Tom Zarek. Directly opposite him stood Tory Foster, a number Two model and a number Six model flanking her. The colonials weren't the only one's interested in their new guests. "So. The man claims ignorance regarding all things Cylon, and says that he is on our side…" Adama started off what he was sure would be a very interesting conversation.

"And you believe him?" Starbuck was the first to offer her thoughts, as usual. "Those frakers killed one of our men and injured five more. Than isn't a good way to earn trust in my book."

"We fired first." Apollo was quick to reply. "As much as I hate to admit it, we could have been in the wrong. The man could be telling the truth when he said it was only self defence."

"Bull." Tigh was the next to give his opinion. "Cylons deceive, that's what they do. I should know… We haven't come across any other humans since we left the Colonies, and it's possible that Cavil and his toaster buddies have created a bunch of entirely new models in order to get the upper hand."

Ellen was quick to counter. "It's possible, but I doubt it. I saw no evidence that Cavill is working on new models of Cylon, and it's not like it can be done overnight."

"But you were a prisoner there. I doubt Cavill would have been sharing all his plans with you." Tom Zarek wasted no time in pointing that fact out to the Cylon woman. "Providing you're not... bending the truth, of course."

"Either way, he wouldn't need these new models to gain the upper hand." Tory stated what she saw as the obvious. "He already has it. He has dozens of Baseships, while we're left with the nothing but the one Baseship and the Galactica, which, let's face it, is long past her sell by date."

"Watch your mouth you mother fraker!" Starbuck stepped forward and was more than willing to attack Tory, when the President spoke.

"People, can we _please_ stick to the gods damn issue? We have two people in the brig, be them human or Cylon, and I would like to hear more about _that_, not the current state of Galactica. Stay on topic, or get out."

The room was quiet for a moment, everyone surprised by the physically weak President's verbal outburst. Ellen spoke again, breaking the silence. "If they are Cylons, I doubt they have anything to do with Cavil. Plus, the rest of their group totally disappeared from the planet, we've been completely unable to locate them, and neither have your crew Tory, unless I'm mistaken.

Tory turned to her fellow Cylon. "All we found was some strange circular artefact in the ground, and we don't see how…"

"Wait, what?" Adama asked, a slight look of surprise on his face.

"We found some strange artefact. It seemed useless to us."

Adama stood from his seat. "We didn't see it. What did it look like?"

"Well, it was round. Big... It had some strange symbols on it. We have pictures if..." the rest of her sentence was cut short as there was a knock at the bulkhead door.

Tigh called out giving permission to whoever it was to enter. The door was opened, and one of the guards from the brig stepped inside.

"They're awake… Both of them."

**Atlantis**

Richard Woolsey sat in the chair that had belonged to what could only really be described as three and a half Expedition Commanders over the past six years. He tapped his fingers on the table in front of him impatiently. He looked up as the door leading to the Control Room opened. "Mr. Woolsey." General Landry addressed the other man as he entered. "You're sitting in my chair."

Richard stood up and walked closer to Landry. "General. I wanted to talk to you."

"What is it?"

"It's about the mission to P9X-113."

"Ah yes." Replied Landry. "I suppose you'll be happy that I was the one who ultimately made the decision to send the teams, considering the mission went less than well..."

Woolsey stared down the other man. "Not at all General. I have nothing to be happy about right now. I'm here to request the opening of a dialogue with these people."

Landry chuckled. "Mr. Woolsey, we don't negotiate with people who shoot our scientists and kidnap our soldiers."

"Hank, I've been speaking to Dr. Jackson. He says the enemies they faced were acting... strangely. As if out of fear. If we go and try and shoot them, the situation will just get worse."

"Major Lorne's team led a group of marines through already, Richard. The enemy is gone. Colonel Sheppard and Teyla too. We've detected that there are a number of ships in orbit. We were going to send a Puddle Jumper through to lead an assault, but General O'Neill wants to send a BC-304 instead."

"Won't that just cause even more fear?"

"We don't care." Landry replied. "This is a military matter, Richard. You may run everything else around here, but this is out of your control."

**Galactica Brig**

Kara Thrace dismissed the guards at the door before entering the brig. Adama hadn't sanctioned what was about to occur, but Zarek and the President had. That was good enough for her.

Teyla Emmagen and John Sheppard stood up as soon as the blonde haired woman entered the brig. John remembered her face well. When someone pistol whips you, it's hard to forget. "Hello again!" he said, in a rather sarcastic tone. "So, was it as good for you as it was for me?"

Kara smirked. "Shut up you Cylon son of a bitch or you'll be getting to second base with it." John had to admit, that was a pretty good way to shut him up.

"What do you want from us?" Teyla asked, attempting to take a more diplomatic route than her friend and team leader.

"I want you to lie to me. That way, I get to have a lot of fun making you tell me the truth." Starbuck stuck the key in the lock to Teyla's cell and walked in, gun in her other hand. She locked the cage behind her. After making sure the door was secure, she chucked her gun through the bars, always keeping her eyes on the other woman. "Let's get this started. Do you work for Cavil?"

"I don't know who this 'Cavil' is." Teyla replied.

Kara smiled, she wasn't inclined believe her. "OK. So just who do you toasters work for then?"

"I'm sorry, we don't know what you're talking…" before Teyla could finish, the blonde woman smacked her across the mouth causing her to fall onto her hands and knees. Kara came up behind her and grabbed her by the hair, bringing her mouth close to her ear, telling her she knew that she was lying.

"Get off her you crazy bitch! She's telling the truth!" John tried to grab Kara through the bars but the two women were too far away from him.

"It's alright John." Teyla reassured her friend, knowing exactly what she was doing. It was obvious to her that this woman had greatly underestimated her both mentally and physically, and that worked entirely to her own advantage.

"If you aren't a Cylon then tell me where the frak you're from!" Kara shouted in Teyla's ear, not caring that she was deafening her.

"I cannot give you that information!" Kara was easily angered, both Teyla and Sheppard had gathered that. She smirked and took a tighter hold of Teyla's hair, preparing to smack her face off the hard metal ground, but before she could the other woman brought her arm up full force into her stomach.

Teyla grabbed the keys from Kara's belt but was kicked backwards before she could get out of the way. The other Woman jumped for her, but Teyla's fist made contact with her face before she could do anything. "I have to say, that felt good." She got up as quickly as she could and ran for the cell door, but she noticed Starbuck behind her. Instead of risking the woman retrieving the keys, she chucked them into Sheppard's cell. Straight after, Kara grabbed her, chucking her to the floor.

"You fraking bitch!" Kara was about to kick the other woman in the ribs before she heard the door open behind her. Admiral Adama and the guards all entered, guns ready.

"Kara! What the frak do you think you're doing?"

**George Hammond**

Colonel Samantha Carter watched as a group of people from Atlantis beamed aboard her ship. She enjoyed her new post, but missed the chance to get out into the field as often as she used to. Even when she was in command of Atlantis, she got regular chances to go off-world. However, there was a sense of pride in being the first female starship Captain of a BC-304. Her eyes lit up as Cameron Mitchell, Daniel Jackson and Vala Maldoran appeared on the bridge. Daniel and Vala both hugged her, and the other Colonel smiled as his friends embraced.

"Colonel. How's she treating you?" Mitchell asked as he approached his friend.

"It's a nice change, I guess." Carter hugged him, happy to see all her friends.

"No hug for me?" McKay asked, as he and Ronon also stepped out of the group of marines who had beamed aboard.

Sam smiled, and put her arm around her fellow scientist. "It's nice to see you too, Rodney." She then took Ronon's hand, and the two shared a look of respect. "So, I take it everyone's ready to go?"

"Sure are." Cameron replied. "We're ready to beam over and kick some ass if need be."

Daniel stepped forward. "And Woolsey convinced Landry to let me come too, in case the enemy are willing to open a dialogue. I think we should try that first, frankly."

Sam agreed. "Hopefully this can be handled without bloodshed." She turned from her friends, and sat in the command chair, addressing the woman sitting to her left. "Major, take us to P9X-113."

**George Hammond Mess Hall**

Less than an hour later, and the ship was closing in on it's position thousands of light years away. McKay was sitting alone in the mess hall, deep in thought. Sam entered, sitting with her sometimes awkward friend. "McKay?"

Rodney looked up, allowing a slight smile to cross his face. "Yeah?"

"I heard about Jeannie..." She put her hand on his. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yeah... She'll be OK. Jennifer's done everything she can. She's in good hands."

"I'm happy to hear it. She's a great woman."

"She is... And frankly no matter what happened, I'm too... fond of Sheppard and Teyla to sit this out."

Sam smiled. "You've changed, Rodney. I'm proud to call you my friend."

"Thanks... I think."

Sam stood up, patting him on the shoulder. "ETA is about 20 minutes."

"I'll be there."

Sam walked to the door, giving Rodney one last glance before leaving the room, and leaving him to his thoughts.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Atlantis Infirmary**

"So, how you holding up?" Jennifer Keller walked into her infirmary to find Jeannie Miller awake for the first time since she underwent an operation to have a bullet removed from her leg. Jeannie wasn't only a patient to Keller; she was also a close friend, and soon a sister-in-law. Since arriving on Atlantis, McKay's younger sister had befriended a lot of people, but she had grown especially close to Jennifer Keller. No matter how much people try to make you feel welcome, you always feel like the outsider in your first year. Jennifer had been through the same thing not long before Jeannie, so she could relate to her right from the beginning.

Jeannie was very happy to see the woman who had taken the piece of metal out of her leg. "I've been better… At least the pain's gone though; I feel a lot better than I did a couple of hours ago..."

Jen smiled back at her. "Don't worry; you'll be back on your feet soon. It's never nice being shot. Most people here will tell you that." Jeannie knew that her friends had been through a lot since she Expedition began, but she personally hadn't experienced anything like that before, until now.

"Caleb and Madison were here before. They only left about 15 minutes ago; I think they went to get something to eat. I doubt they'll be long, and I'm sure they'll be thrilled to see that you're awake." The smile on Jeannie Miller's face grew wider. She couldn't wait to see her husband and daughter again. "I could go and find them if you want. Tell them you're awake."

"It's OK Jen. Let them eat first, they'll probably need it." Keller smiled. Her friend always put her family first. "I nearly forgot... Is everyone else alright?"

The smile on Jennifer's face disappeared.

**Battlestar Galactica**

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Adama stood facing Kara Thrace, Laura Roslin by his side. "I did not give my permission for you to do that to that woman."

"No sir, you didn't." Kara turned to face Roslin. "But she did. I wouldn't have done it without the permission of either you, or the President."

A look of shock appeared on Laura's face. "I sanctioned nothing. Where did you get that idea from?"

Kara stood silent for a moment, before speaking again "Zarek told me that you and the Quorum had…"

"You actually took the word of Tom Zarek before consulting me?" Roslin quickly cut her off. The President trusted Starbuck, and this felt like a punch in the gut to her. Something she really didn't need. "What if they aren't Cylons, Kara? We don't have any actual proof to say they are lying?"

Kara stood silent, looking at the ground, before Admiral Adama spoke. "Find me Tom Zarek, and bring him here right now."

"Yes Sir."

**Atlantis**

General Landry stood at the base of the Control Room steps, hands behind his back, and Richard Woolsey standing to one side of him. With a brilliant flash of light, his superior and old friend Jack O'Neill appeared in front of the gate.

"General. It's good to see you." Landry took Jack's hand, shaking it firmly.

"I'd love to catch up Hank, but it'll have to wait. I want to know everything as it happens." The three men began walking up to Landry's office. "Do these aliens pose a threat?"

"Considering what they've done, I'd say so." Landry replied.

"The information we have on their ships is minimal at best, General." Woolsey interjected. "And the information we have on the aliens themselves is too."

"They took two of people and..."

"Misunderstandings have happened before." O'Neill cut off the other General before he could finish. "It's part of the job, in fact. It happens a lot. Too much."

"I'm not saying we should be complacent around the enemy, or give in to demands, but we should at least try and settle this peacefully, if we can." Woolsey continued.

"I agree." O'Neill replied. "We don't need to make more enemies. I like the Galaxy how it is now. No Goa'uld or Ori through every damn Gate..."

"Exactly, General."

**Battlestar Galactica**

Adama was angry, but Laura Roslin was absolutely furious, summoning all the strength she had to blast her VP. "Who the hell do you think you are giving out orders like that?"

"You had no right, Zarek. With decisions like that, either me or the President need to be consulted, preferably both. No matter what you think, you do not have the power to do it yourself."

Tom Zarek stood with a smile on his face, angering both the Admiral and the President further. "Oh, I consulted the Quorum first, believe me."

"The Quorum is not the be all and end all of Colonial politics and you know that!" Laura shot back.

"No, but when they agree unanimously on an issue then it is my duty to ensure their wishes are carried out, I knew you would never have approved, Laura."

"Yes and there is a reason for that! As far as we are aware, we know all models of Cylon bar Number 7, and unless I am mistaken there are _two_ people being held in that brig, neither of them known to be Cylon models. We have absolutely no evidence to say they are Cylons, let alone anything concrete!"

Tom enjoyed making Laura angry. There was a time when he thought they could actually work together and be friends, but even he was willing to admit that his thirst for power had destroyed any chance of that. "None of this matters. They killed one of our people and wounded others, that isn't acceptable from anyone, be them robots or otherwise."

"Yes but we shot first, Zarek…" all of a sudden, Laura's face changed, her lips curled into a slight smile. "Or did you neglect to mention that little fact to the Quorum when you were trying to convince them to bay for the blood of those prisoners?" Zarek didn't reply. "Oh yes… It's making a lot more sense now."

Tom finally spoke. "Madam President, this fleet has been in grave danger ever since we left the 12 Colonies, and yes even since we made that... alliance with the Two's, Sixes, and Eights. Whether you admit it or not the threat of attack has always been looming over us, and it hasn't gone away just because we have a supposedly friendly Basestar out there..."

Adama spoke for the first time since the conversation had first started. "We haven't seen a single enemy Cylon since we destroyed the Hub. They're scared. The playing field is level now. There is nothing to say that they would just start attacking again now. I am going to speak to the prisoners myself; I personally want to hear them out. You're both welcome to join me, and I think you, Mr. Zarek, owe them an explanation."

"I owe them nothing."

Laura was quick to counter. "Then get the hell out. You may not think you owe them anything, but you definitely owe the Quorum the truth about what happened on that planet down there. Lie to them again, lie to Kara Thrace again, or lie to _me_ again, and believe me when I say that I will find out." With that, Zarek turned to leave, before Laura stopped him once again. "And Zarek… This is _far_ from over."

**George Hammond**

The Hammond dropped out of hyperspace behind one of the three moons of P9X-113. Sam, hoped that would be enough to avoid detection from the large enemy fleet in orbit. Each of Earth's ships now contained at least one Puddle Jumper, and at times like this, having a Puddle Jumper on board that could cloak came in very handy, and Cameron knew it. Scientists were still unable to work out how to cloak a BC-304 without using a ZPM, so this was a good alternative for recon missions.

"Are you guys all set to go?" Carter asked as she walked into one of the Hammond's hanger bays.

"We sure are." McKay was the first to reply. "Just so I know, if we run into trouble will you…"

"Come save your butts?" Sam answered the question before Rodney had a chance to. "That's the point. General O'Neill didn't want us sending Jumpers through the Gate because they would be alone if they were detected, but we've got your backs." Sam smirked and then turned to Cameron. "If you guys need anything, get straight on the line and we'll jump straight in there."

He smiled at his friend. "I don't doubt it for a second." He turned to the others, and began walking towards the Jumper. "Alright. Let's get our people back."

**Puddle Jumper**

Soon after, the Jumper had left the Hammond and was heading out to the planet, and the fleet of ships above it. "OK, cloak the ship." Cameron ordered as he looked out of the large front window, staring at the curvature of the large moon.

"Oh believe me, I am more than happy to." McKay answered as he used his mind to make the small vessel disappear.

The two men watched the curvature of the moon until the planet came into view, and then a fleet of ships bigger than either of them had seen in a long time appeared. Rodney took the Jumper out of its orbit and off towards the other vessels. "Scanning the ships… Right, I'm starting to get some information through."

"So, what are we up against?" Cameron asked, interested in knowing the capability of this new race.

"Hmm… I'm quite surprised actually, I wasn't expecting this…"

"What?"

"Well, it seems the majority of the ships aren't actually capable of combat. There are a few, but it seems only two of them are actually built to fight." McKay concentrated as he received more information.

"Well thank god for that." Cam replied.

McKay watched the fleet as information regarding each ship was gathered by the Jumper's incredibly advanced technology. "Both of the capital ships are damaged, and neither appears to have shield technology. They seem to use extremely thick armour, but it looks like a lot of it has come away, on one of the ships at least. The two ships are of totally different design too… In fact, I'm not even sure they were made by the same race."

Mitchell was pleased. "Nice job McKay." He looked out over the ships as the Jumper flew in between them, taking a good look at the designs. Some of them didn't even have any windows, obviously down to the fact that the hulls were so thick, and the lack of shields.

He didn't think he would want to spend any length of time on one of those, and then thought about how Teyla and John must be feeling. "Take us back to the Hammond. I think we've got what we need."

**Galactica's Brig**

Admiral Adama, Laura Roslin and Apollo entered the brig, hoping that they would be leaving it with a much better sense of what was going on. John Sheppard and Teyla Emmagen stood as soon as they saw the figures coming into the room. "If any of you think you're getting in that damn cage with her again you've got another thing coming." John said as the three walked closer.

"I apologise for what happened before." The woman spoke, hoping to diffuse the man's anger slightly. "Kara Thrace had been told to do what she did to you by my Vice President, and had been falsely told that I myself had sanctioned those actions. Believe me, I had not." She turned to Teyla. "I'm sorry for what happened, and so is Kara. I thoroughly intend to make sure that the Vice President pays for what he has done."

John wasn't satisfied. "Why should we believe you? For all we know this is going to be another interrogation. We're not stupid, you don't have to use violence or threats to get information out of someone, and when the information you're trying to get doesn't even exist then…" Teyla stopped him before he could finish.

"John, it's alright. I believe they're telling the truth." Teyla had been in situations like this before, and she had learned to recognise whether someone was lying or not. This woman was either sincere or a fantastic liar. Judging by the way she was acting, Teyla was inclined to believe the former.

The older of the two men spoke next. "We are. And we also apologize for shooting first, in hindsight we realise that was probably the worst move we could have made. However, after what we've been through, we didn't have much choice." John was becoming intrigued now. However, he didn't want to turn the questions around to these new people just yet. Hopefully there would be time to find out more later.

The younger man was the next to speak. "You'll understand that we do need to paint a picture here. We need to know who you are. If we hear your story, we'll be a lot more inclined to believe you. We're not here to force anything out of you. We're here to ask you."

Teyla and John both looked at each other, before Teyla turned back to the three people in front of her and spoke. "I am Teyla Emmagen, and this is Colonel John Sheppard. We are from a planet many light years from here." She wasn't prepared to give up the fact that they were from Atlantis, or more importantly Earth. Not yet anyway. "We were on that planet doing research on the outpost that you no doubt noticed, in the base of the mountain."

Roslin smiled. "Thank you. That's a good start. I am President Laura Roslin, and this is Admiral William Adama and his son, Lee Adama, another political representative. The ship you are aboard is known as the Battlestar Galactica. We were wondering, how did the rest of your people escape the planet?"

Teyla and John both shared another look. "Did you not see the Planet's Stargate?" Asked John, wondering how they could have missed something so obvious.

The President looked confused. "Stargate? Do you mean that large stone ring?"

John was amazed that they didn't know what a Stargate was, but before he could answer an alarm began blaring and the phone on the brig's wall rang. "If you'll excuse me." Adama walked over to the wall and picked up the phone, he was silent for a moment before speaking. "What do you mean it isn't a Baseship?"


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Colonial Fleet**

The Colonial civilians that were lucky enough to have access to windows looked out, some in awe and some in horror, as a large green anomaly appeared in the centre of the fleet. Their faces dropped as a ship came out of the weird, yet beautiful 'cloud'. The vessel travelled between Colonial ships until it came face to face with the Galactica. Children looked on wanting to see the outcome of this strange meeting, before their own ships began disappeared in a flash of bright light.

**George Hammond**

"Shields up, bring the plasma weapons online! I don't want us being caught off guard!" Carter barked out orders to her crew as the Earth ship dropped out of hyperspace. Out of the forward window they saw the capital ship straight ahead.

Major Ross spoke up as he noticed something strange on his console. "Ma'am, the ships are disappearing. They aren't jumping to hyperspace or cloaking, they're just… vanishing." He looked at his commanding officer to see her staring out the window, along with the her friends, and everyone else on the bridge.

"Yes… We can see that Major." Sam had never seen technology like this before, only about half a minute after they had appeared, the fleet had begun to disappear.

"Get us closer to the larger ship and hail them." McKay pointed at the Galactica. "If Teyla and John are still in this fleet, my money is on them being in there."

**Galactica CIC**

Admiral Adama walked into his CIC with Laura, Lee, Teyla and Sheppard behind him, three guards at the back ensuring that the two unknowns did not escape. Tigh looked over to his old friend as he entered. "Good to have you here Admiral, but what the frak are they doing up here?"

Adama stood in his usual position next to the command table. "You said that ship wasn't a Baseship." He looked over at Teyla and John. "Well, I think their friends may have come looking for them..."

Teyla had noticed Kara looking at her out the corner of her eye, but didn't return the look. "That's correct, we believe it may be one of our ships. We don't leave our people behind, it was only a matter of time before they got here."

"Is the fleet jumping away?" Adama asked, concerned about the welfare of his people first and foremost.

Tigh answered quickly. "Yes sir. They're nearly gone, the Baseship is preparing to jump too."

"Good." Adama said. "I want them all out of here."

"That's the last of them Admiral." Felix Gaeta was the next to speak. "Our FTL drive is spooled up and ready to go."

"Don't jump yet." The room went silent at the Admiral's order. "I want to see how this plays out."

The room remained silent, until Felix spoke up once again. "Uh… Admiral, with all due respect, in what way is that a good idea?"

If we run while we have their people on board, they'll just keep chasing us."

"But..." Gaeta stopped when he heard a beeping sound from one of his consoles. "Uh... They're trying to communicate sir..."

Admiral Adama nodded and picked up the wired phone near his side, Gaeta patching the other ship through.

**George Hammond**

"The ship is responding to hails, Colonel."

"Thank you Major Ross, put them through." Replied Carter. "This should be interesting…"

The voice of an older but authoritative man was heard on the bridge of ship. "This is Admiral William Adama of the Colonial Fleet. Who is this?"

Sam glanced over at Daniel, who gave her a nod. "This is Colonel Samantha Carter of the U.S.S George Hammond. I believe you have two of our people on board your ship."

**Galactica CIC**

The room watched intently as Admiral Adama spoke to the other ship. "If you are referring to Colonel John Sheppard and Teyla Emmagen, then yes, we do."

Adama awaited the reply of the other man. "Will you be prepared to hand them over peacefully Admiral, or do we have to take them back ourselves?"

"That depends. If we do give your people back do you give your word that you will not harm anyone in this fleet?" Adama was once again left waiting for a reply. Before he could get one however, both Teyla and Sheppard both disappeared in an amazing flash of light. "What the frak?"

**George Hammond**

John Sheppard and Teyla Emmagen materialised on board the bridge of the Hammond. Vala and Ronon hugged Sheppard while Daniel did the same to Teyla. McKay wasn't quite sure who to go to first.

"What took you so long?" Asked John as his friends embraced him.

"We wanted to see what these Colonials were like first. Did they treat you OK?" Sam asked.

"They treated us well, Colonel." Teyla answered.

"Yeah, well your face tells a different story." Cameron said. There was no hiding the marks from Teyla's scuffle with Kara.

"That was a misunderstanding, I'm interested in what these people have to say and I don't want that to ruin it." Teyla replied.

**Galactica CIC**

On board Galactica, Admiral Adama had heard the whole conversation. He admired what Teyla had said, but did not admire the way in which Colonel Carter had displayed their advanced technology and used it as a way to determine whether or not to trust the Colonials.

Suddenly, Another voice addressed the Galactica. "Admiral Adama, my name is Dr. Daniel Jackson. Now that we have our people back, I'd really like to open a dialogue between our two peoples. We're peaceful, and we'd like to learn more about you. We will be happy to speak to you, perhaps at a neutral location, but this bit's up to you. You can either jump away and join up with your fleet again, or you can stay and we can try and make this work."

Adama did not speak for what felt like minutes to both parties involved, but was probably only seconds. Eventually, he spoke. "Mr. Gaeta... Jump the ship."

With that, the Galactica disappeared in a flash of light and left the Hammond sitting in space, alone. On board the ship, the crew on the bridge was quiet, until Colonel Mitchell broke the silence. "Oh well. Their loss."


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Adama's Quarters**

"Why did you do it, Bill?" Roslin was disappointed. These people were obviously advanced and they must have had access to multiple resources.

"I don't know whether or not to trust these people, and I'm not willing to risk this fleet on a possibility. You saw what they were capable of Laura. Hell, we're still combing the fleet to make sure they didn't take anyone else away when they first appeared.

"That woman, Teyla Emmagen, she put her trust in us, even after the incident with Kara. I really don't think she was lying." She sat down beside the Admiral. "When Zarek finds out that we ran at the chance of a possible alliance he's going to milk it for all it's worth. We won't be able to make him pay for what we did if he gets the support of the entire fleet behind him. He twists things, and he'll be able to twist the incident with Kara and Teyla too."

Adama sighed. Ever since he had given the order to jump away, the possibilities of what could have been were playing on his mind. It was too late now though. It was doubtful that they would ever bump into them accidentally again, and after what had happened he doubted that these people were in a rush to find them.

**Atlantis**

High above Earth, the George Hammond dropped out of hyperspace, the majority of the billions of people below unaware of it's arrival. The group of Atlantis beamed back down to the city, along with Samantha Carter. When General O'Neill saw her, he walked straight over to the Colonel and hugged her. He stepped back when he realised most of the eyes were on them. "So, I take it everyone is back this time?"

"Certainly are, sir." John Sheppard stepped forward, shaking the General's hand. "Thanks for sending help."

"No problem Colonel. Just don't go getting yourself kidnapped any more, 'kay?"

Sheppard smiled. "Yes sir."

"What happened up there?" Landry asked, stepping forward, noticing the marks on Teyla's face.

"There were some... misunderstandings. But I do not believe we need to fear those people, they won't be making any trouble for us."

"Good. Let's hope you're right." The General replied.

McKay noticed Woolsey standing off to one side, and walked over to him. "Richard, do you know how my sister is?"

Woolsey smiled. "She's fine, Rodney. She's awake. I'm sure she'll be happy to see you."

McKay tapped Woolsey on the shoulder, before jogging off towards the infirmary.

"Are you sure you're OK?" Asked Vala as Teyla turned to her.

"I'm fine. I'm more disappointed than anything. I do actually wish we'd gotten to know those people more… Perhaps we will see them again."

Vala put her arm around her friend's shoulder and they began walking her towards the mess hall. "You never know."

**Atlantis Infirmary**

Rodney jogged down the corridors of Atlantis towards the infirmary. He desperately wanted to see his younger sister to make sure she was feeling better. However, as he approached the door, he noticed Caleb sitting by her side, with Madison on the bed with her. The whole family together, all happy and having fun. Rodney smiled, before taking one last look, and then turning around, walking back to Stargate Operations, his hands in his pockets and a big grin on his face. His sister would be fine.

**Battlestar Galactica**

"Fellow Colonials, this is a sad day in our history, one not seen since the discovery of Earth. We have lost the opportunity to forge a relationship with an advanced race." Tom Zarek addressed the room full of news reporters and Colonial representatives. "However, we cannot allow the blame to fall solely on Admiral Adama's shoulders. I too must take part of the blame."

Adama stood in the corner of the room with his son, both of them seething in anger. If Zarek hadn't managed to build up his popularity so much over the past few years and hadn't managed to secure almost unanimous backing from the fleet, then Adama would have been happy to flush him out an airlock.

"I sanctioned an interrogation of the prisoners we had captured, which caused the leader of these people to be… slightly less willing to cooperate than they would have been, even though they still had the decency to extend us an olive branch."

Tom had a good way of twisting an insult against someone and make it sound like he was being sympathetic to the person, and Adama knew it.

"I did what any other sane person would have done, however I still take part of the responsibility. Now, we must strive forward and continue our search for resources. It has been decided that we will not yet return to the planet we discovered, but it is a possibility in the near future."

**Atlantis Mess Hall**

Sam and Vala sat opposite each other in the Atlantis Mess Hall, each with a tray of 'food' in front of them. "Yum... Looks nearly as good a the food on the Hammond..."

Vala snickered. "That good?" The women smiled, begrudgingly digging in. "It's good to see you again, Sam."

"Thanks. It's good to be seen." The Colonel replied. "How have things been around Atlantis?"

"The usual. It's taken some getting used to, this being home... But it's nice. Me and Daniel have made lots of lovely friends."

Sam grinned. "I knew they'd treat you right. The people here are great."

"They are."

"How is Jeannie fitting in with SG-1?"

"Well." Vala replied. "And it's nice to have two women on the team again."

"I'm happy to hear it. I'm sure she's a valuable part of the team."

"Though her brother is a bit jealous..."

A slight smirk crossed Sam's lips. "Really?"

"Oh yeah. It's not that he wants to be on our team, it's just that our team has '1' in the title and his has '2'."

Sam chuckled. "That sounds about right." The two women went quiet again for a moment as they continued to work at their meals.

"Do you miss us, then?"

"I do. More than you guys know. It's hard up there sometimes."

Vala smiled at her friend. "I'm sure it is, but we're always here, whenever you need us."

Sam played with her food for a few moments, before looking up at her friend. "Come on, let's go... I'm sure there's something more fun we could do than this while I'm here..." Vala, agreeing, was happy to leave the rest of her meal behind.

Before they could leave however, Rodney McKay came running up to the pair. "Sam, you might want to see this."

The two women hurriedly followed McKay back towards the control room. "What's happened Rodney?" Sam asked, concerned.

"It's the Colonials…" he replied, also looking concerned. "I've just detected six large ships heading towards them on the long range sensors."

**Daedalus**

Steven Caldwell had been in command of the Daedalus for over four years now; it didn't just feel like his ship, it felt like his home. The ship had only dropped out of hyperspace a few moments before General Landry was on the line. "Colonel Caldwell, good to see you back to Earth."

"Good to be here General. What's going on?"

"It's been quite a day, Colonel. There's a fleet of... relatively friendly ships out there that need your help. We've detected six large ships closing in on their position."

Caldwell grimaced. "What can we do?"

"The Hammond left about 20 minutes ago carrying General O'Neill and some members of the expedition. I need your ship to join them. We don't know who these other ships are, but they're big."

"Yes sir."

"I'm sorry that you and your crew aren't going to get your shore leave yet, but this is important."

Steven smiled. "Don't worry General, we're always happy to help."

**George Hammond Mess Hall**

"They say we may have to beam over to help the Colonials if their enemies manage to board them." Ronon Dex walked in to the mess hall of the Hammond to see Teyla Emmagen alone, looking out the window at the hyperspace tunnel that the ship was travelling through. "Apparently General O'Neill wants to go over there anyway, and I'll be damned if I just let him, Sheppard and Mitchell go without me."

Teyla continued to stare out the window. "I wouldn't expect any less."

Ronon walked over to her table and sat next to her. "What are you thinking about?"

"Everything" Replied Teyla. "My son has not known an all out Wraith attack; he hasn't known a Galaxy where an alien race are completely dominant... I was hoping to keep it that way."

Ronon placed an arm around his friend. "We can still keep it that way. We fight now so he doesn't have to fight tomorrow." Teyla smiled, and the two warriors sat there together, both watching the amazing blues stream past the window in front of them. The pair sat for a few minutes before a fellow warrior entered the room. "No matter what these new guys are like... We can take them."

"Teyla, Ronon." Cameron marched into the messhall to be met by the sight of two of his friends sitting together. "We'll be with the Colonials within twenty minutes, the Daedalus isn't far behind. General O'Neill wants us all on the bridge. He's formulating a battle plan."

Teyla and Ronon both stood up. "Good." Ronon said as he walked towards the door. "This should be fun."

**Battlestar Galactica**

Caprica Six lay silently in her quarters, alone. This was where she spent most of her time aboard Galactica. She didn't have many friends, and ever since her mutual split with Colonel Tigh, she would find herself going days on end without speaking to anyone. Despite this, she refused to go to the Basestar. She had been on Galactica since the exodus from New Caprica, and it was her home now, she had no intention of leaving.

All of a sudden, she heard a knock on the door. She shot up and quickly opened the hatch, interested in who it could be. "Can I come in?" Gaius Baltar stood in the corridor, facing the woman who once loved him.

After a brief pause, Caprica spoke. "Fine." She stepped aside, letting him in. "What do you want, Gaius?"

"I just wanted to check up on you..."

"I don't need people to check up on me."

"It's just that... After losing Liam, and then Colonel Tigh..."

"It was for the best."

Gaius appeared surprised. "That you miscarried?"

Caprica felt like hitting the man. She had to hold back the tears from her eyes. "No. That me and Colonel Tigh split. Losing Liam is the worst thing that's happened to me. But that doesn't mean I need your help."

"I'm sorry, I..."

"Why don't you just go back to your little harem, Gaius?" The Cylon cut him off before he could finish.

Baltar sighed. "Look, you may say you don't need help, but like you said, this is the hardest thing you've faced... Just let me sit with you for a while. You can talk to me."

For a split moment, Caprica considered his offer. But not for long. "Just leave. Please."

The cult leader was about to protest, but he realised that for now at least, there was no use. He walked to the open bulkhead door, giving Caprica one last glance, before closing it behind him.

**Galactica CIC**

The decision Admiral Adama had made the day before still played heavily on his mind, and he was sure it would for the rest of his days. More and more he felt like he had chucked away the Colonials best chance at surviving, and now he wasn't even sure why he had done it. He stood in the CIC wondering what could have happened as people rushed around going about there jobs as if nothing had. His people were loyal, that was for sure. They stuck by any decision he made, this one was no different. They had a lot of respect for him, but he had even more for them.

"Sir, we just picked up a ship on DRADIS!" Adama was brought back to the present by the voice of Felix Gaeta.

Straight away Adama was back to normal and ready to lead his people. "Get the fleet ready to jump. Is it the Cylons?"

"No sir…" Gaeta replied. "It's Colonel Carter's ship."

A wave of relief and curiosity washed over Adama, for a number of reasons. "I want to speak to that ship."

**George Hammond**

Colonel Carter watched the Colonial Fleet, expecting them to disappear but this time feeling slightly dismayed when they didn't.

"Admiral Adama's on the line sir."

The Colonel looked over to Major Ross. "Put him through."

Within seconds Adama's voice was heard on the bridge of the Hammond. "This is Admiral Adama. Why have you returned?"

O'Neill answered quickly, wasting no time. "Admiral, this is General Jack O'Neill. There is a fleet of enemy ships on their way as we speak. I suggest you get your fleet out of here before we arrive and we'll take care of them. You're more than welcome to stay and help if you want, but they'll be here any minute now."

It was an understatement to say that Adama was shocked by O'Neill's words. "General, with all due respect, why should we believe…"

Sam spoke now. "If you don't believe us then your fleet could be destroyed. There are six large ships on their way here, we don't know who they are, but we're willing to bet they're hostile. Just get your people out of here Admiral. Please." Sam and the others waited impatiently for a response.

Adama stood in the CIC with the eyes of his people watching intently. "Jump the fleet. We're staying. And get the President up here right now."


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**George Hammond**

The people on the bridge of the Hammond watched as the Colonial fleet disappeared, one ship at a time. The technology was unlike any known to Earth, and both Carter and McKay realised that it could prove useful in the future if trading talks were opened with the Colonials.

Admiral Adama's voice once again filled the room. "General O'Neill, it's done. The fleet's gone. So, are you going to tell me what we're up against?"

Jack was about to reply when he saw more flashed of light in the distance, six to be exact. Whoever it was, they had arrived.

**Galactica CIC**

Felix Gaeta looked on in shock as the information came through. "Sir… we're picking up six new ships on DRADIS… The General's ship is moving to intercept. They're... They're Baseships!."

Adama became incredibly anxious. He prayed to the gods that the George Hammond was up to the challenge. "I want us battle ready now. Bring the nukes online and target those new ships. Launch all Vipers."

"Admiral, what the hell is going on?" Laura Roslin walked into Galactica's CIC, desperate to know what was happening after being interrupted from her sleep.

"It's the Cylons, Laura."

**George Hammond**

"We should try and open a line to the new ships. There's still a chance they could be friendly." Daniel was trying to be optimistic, but the idea didn't appeal this time.

"I don't think so..." Replied Major Ross. "They've powered weapons, and they're ready to fire..."

"Do the same!" Ordered Carter. "Plasma weapons online, target the closest ship. Whatever you do, don't let them take out the Battlestar Galactica!"

"Ma'am, the Galactic is launching fighters and bringing it's own nukes online."

"Good." Replied Sam.

O'Neill grimaced. "Let's just hope this isn't some elaborate ploy..."

The Cylon Baseships and their fighters all of a sudden loosed hundred of nukes at the Hammond and the Galactica, taking the Hammond at least off guard. By the time rail guns had begun firing to counter, the ship had already taken dozens of hits.

"Shields down to seventy-one percent!"

Crew members ran around the bridge doing their jobs to the best of their ability, as the ship was rocked by the sheer amount of warheads that were being taken by the shields. Eventually, the rail gun fire and the fire from the Galactica began countering the stream of nukes and only the odd one was impacting the shields.

"Fire plasma weapons, now!" Carter commanded, but it was no use, the ship had taken damage and they'd been knocked off line, along with other systems.

"We can't Colonel, they're off line!"

"Then fire our nukes, let's give them a taste of their own medicine!" With that, Major Ross fired a volley of nukes at the closest Baseship, most of which were destroyed before impact, but two of which hit their intended target, turning it into a burning hulk of wreckage. "Continue firing rail guns, and launch all F-302s! Colonel Mitchell, Colonel Sheppard, get down there!"

"Yes Ma'am!" With that, the two Colonels ran for the hangars, the ship shaking as the Cylon attack increased in intensity. Within moments, the 16 F-302s carried by the George Hammond were launched, flying at great speed towards the Cylon Raiders. The Raiders were fully intending to have to take the human ships on, but the less agile craft flew straight past them, releasing their own nuclear missiles at the next Baseship. The majority of the missiles hit, causing another of the enemy vessels to explode in brilliant light, just as the Hammond released it's final volley causing another of the ships severe damage. The fighters turned to face their Cylon rivals, and a huge dogfight began, with F-302's attacking the Raiders from one side and Vipers attacking them from the other.

**Galactica CIC**

"Sir, the Hammond has taken out two of the Cylon Baseships, and crippled another, but they're out of nukes" Felix fed the information through to the Admiral as soon as he got it.

"Lets see if we can give them a little more help. Bring us in range of the crippled Baseship, let's see if we can dispatch it for good."

"Aye sir."

With that order, the Galactica launched a stream of it's own warheads, many being intercepted before they could do their damage. One nuke slipped through, reaching and obliterating the already damaged Baseship.

**George Hammond**

Major Ross looked worried as he looked at the console in front of him. "Shields down to sixteen percent. We can't take much more of this!"

Sam turned from the brilliant flash of light in front of her as another Hive was destroyed. "I agree, tell the Galactica to prepare to leave and recall our fighter…" Before the Colonel could finish, another hyperspace window opened and the Daedalus came into the fray.

"Colonel Carter this is Colonel Caldwell, what's the situation?"

Sam allowed herself a sigh of relief. "We have three ships still fully functional, our shields are down to less than sixteen percent."

The Daedalus moved to intercept the fire from the enemy ships, taking the brunt of their wrath and sparing the Hammond.

"Launch F-302s and target the closest ship with the plasma weapons, target the others with rail guns and missiles for now."

The team on the bridge of the Hammond watched as the Daedalus came into the battle, all guns blazing and taking out another one of the Cylon ships with ease using the plasma weapons. All enemy ships focussed their attention on the newcomer, unleashing everything they had in an attempt to stop it dealing more damage.

**Galactica's CIC**

Laura looked on as the CIC buzzed with activity, so far the Galactica hadn't taken any major hits which was good news considering her armour was virtually non-existent at this point. She stood in the loud, busy room thinking only of what was going on outside.

"Admiral, another ship just jumped into the battle!" Gaeta called out to both the Admiral and the room.

"What?"

"It's attacking the enemy fleet and launching fighters." A smile grew on both Adama and Roslin's faces at the good news. "It's just taken another Baseship sir!"

"Get us closer, give them all the help they need!"

**Daedalus**

The Daedalus took up position between the Galactica and the now unshielded Hammond. All three ships fired in unison, sending nukes, missiles, and plasma beams down the Cylon's throats. By the time they had reached the enemy position, the last two capital ships were dealt with.

"It's a hit! The enemy ships are gone sir. Just the smaller ones to deal with." The Major Marks worked away at his console while he gave Colonel Caldwell an update.

"Get us between the dogfight and the Hammond, I don't want to lose that ship!"

**Hammond**

"The Daedalus has taken out the last of the enemy ships sir. We're receiving a transmission from the Galactica." Carter breathed a sigh of relief and watched as the Daedalus focussed its efforts on the cruisers.

"Thanks Major, put it through."

The crew waited until Admiral Adama began speaking. "U.S.S George Hammond, this is Galactica. Thank you for your help. We're very..."

All of a sudden a klaxon begun blaring throughout the Hammond.

O'Neill looked around. "What the hell happened?"

Major Ross turned to the others on the bridge. "We've been boarded, sir..."

A look of shock washed over the faces of those on the bridge. General O'Neill addressed Galactica. "Admiral, this is O'Neill. Do you know who it was that attacked?"

"We do, General." Adama replied. "We call them the Cylons."

**Galactica's CIC**

In a flash of light, O'Neill beamed onto the bridge of the Battlestar Galactica, appearing opposite Adama and Roslin. Straight away O'Neill walked up to Admiral Adama, only to find Colonial weapons pointed at him, causing him some surprise. He extended his hand to Adama, and after some hesitation the Admiral took it. "There. That wasn't so bad. Now, about those Cylons..."

**Daedalus**

"Sir, the Hammond is sending us a transmission... They're been boarded."

"What?" Caldwell turned, staring out at the other BC-304. "How did that happen?"

"We're receiving more information from the ship…" the Major paused for a moment as he looked over the data. "Apparently two small ships landed in the hangar bay undetected during the battle. They were carrying a number of... Cylons..."

"What the hell is a Cylon?"

"I think they're what we were just blowing up, sir."

**George Hammond**

Shortly after beaming over to the Galactica, O'Neill returned, with Kara Thrace, Lee Adama, and Karl and Sharon Agathon with him. "Got some help!" O'Niell stated, a smile on his face. Kara Thrace immediately noticed Teyla standing on the other side of the bridge. She wanted to talk to her, but now wasn't the time.

"Woah..." Apollo exclaimed, causing his friends to turn their heads. They were amazed by the sight of the Hammond's large viewing screen. "That is amazing..."

"Now, now, there's plenty of time for exclamations of shock later, right now you've got some Cylons to kill." Jack drew his own gun. "Teyla, Ronon, Vala, you're with us."

"I'll tell Colonel Mitchell and Colonel Sheppard to land in the other hanger and join you when they get here." Sam said, before wishing the others good luck.

Soon the group led by general O'Neill were marching along the corridors of the Hammond, ready to stop the Cylon incursion at all costs. "So, what are we facing here exactly?"

Lee frowned. "That's a long story, General..."

"I'm sure it is. Give me the gist."

"They're robots, sir." Kara explained. "They come in both metal and flesh models. They're intent on wiping us out." She glanced at Athena. "Or at least most of them are, anyway..."

"Robots, you say? And ones that can look human to boot... Sounds scarily like..." O'Neill jumped for cover as a hail of bullets shot towards him, two Cylon Centurions standing at the other end of the corridor.

"Definitely not replicators!" Shouted Ronon, taking position and blasting off the head of one of the Centurions with his own weapon. Kara and Athena took aim aim and fired on the second, soon followed by O'Neill and Vala, their combined fire taking it down.

"OK, big scary metal men with guns for hands... That's all I needed to know" proclaimed Vala.

"If they're this far into the ship already, then they could be anywhere. We'll split into two teams, Starbuck, Athena and Ronon, you're with me. Teyla, Vala, Apollo and Helo, you work your way down to the hanger the other way. We'll force them back and hopefully take them all out before we meet up."

**Galactica CIC**

"How do you think they're doing over there?" Laura stood facing Bill Adama, impatiently.

"We've faced similar things before and come out of it alright, and I'm sure they're equipped to do the same." The Admiral replied, trying to comfort his lover.

"We've waited so long for this... Too long for the Cylons to ruin it now."

"They won't. Don't worry."

All of a sudden, all heads turned as Tom Zarek entered the CIC. A marine came running up behind him. "I'm sorry Admiral, I couldn't stop him..."

Adama faced the other man, stern faced. "What are you doing here, Zarek?"

The Vice President smiled, the smile that both Adama and the President wanted to wipe off his face so often. "I've been informed that our friends vessels have been compromised."

"Who the frak told you that?"

Zarek and Gaeta shared a quick, unnoticed look. "That's none of your concern, Admiral. Right now, the fact that the Cylons are infiltrating that ship over there should be taking priority. Tell me. What exactly do you intend to do if they succeed in taking that vessel?"

"They won't."

"You have no way of knowing that. The Cylons are a new threat to these people, correct?"

There was a brief pause. "Correct."

"Then they won't know what they are up against."

"We have people over there, helping them." Adama shot back.

"Perhaps, but they're fighting in a completely new environment. We need to be prepared for the worst case scenario. We can't allow that vessel to fall into Cylon hands."

"Just what are you proposing, Mr. Zarek?" Laura asked, wishing he would cut to the point.

"Arm all warheads, and keep them locked on that ship... At the first sign that the Cylons have control, we need to take them out."


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**George Hammond**

Vala and Teyla walked through the corridors of the Hammond, weapons constantly at the ready in case they were jumped again. Apollo and Helo followed close behind.

Helo took in his surroundings as he walked. "Not a bad ship."

"No." Teyla replied. "It is not."

"So I take it that planet we first met you on, that wasn't your home planet?" Apollo asked.

"Correct. I come from a planet called Athos."

"Athos? Sounds nice."

Teyla sighed. "It was..."

This intrigued Lee. He was about to reply, but upon turning a corner the team found themselves facing a large group of Centurions, who opened fire on sight. The four immediately ran for cover. Dodging the bullets the robots fired at them.

"How many are there?" Helo asked, trying to avoid the enemy fire just inched from his head.

Vala attempted to get a better look at the robots, but quickly ducked her head down behind her cover once again. "Too many!"

Apollo ducked too, reloading. "They're advancing!"

**Galactica CIC**

"What the hell are you talking about Zarek"? Adama knew the other man was audacious, but he had still managed to shock him.

"That ship took a beating from six Cylon Baseships and it's still around, it's more advanced that we are. If the Cylons get that technology they will be unstoppable." Zarek walked forward, putting his hands firmly on the table of the CIC and staring down the others. "We cannot let that happen."

"Even if we wanted to, there's another ship out there that isn't nearly as damaged." Tigh countered. "We wouldn't stand a chance."

"We can fire a volley of nukes, and then if it looks like the other ship is going to attack, we jump away. Simple as that."

"I'm not prepared to compromise this relationship." Adama replied. "They could be our salvation."

"Not if they're replaced by Cylons, Admiral. If we open a communication with the other ship after we destroy the infiltrated one, we can explain ourselves. They've been understanding so far."

Roslin stared her VP dead in the eye. "You're in no position to be giving out orders, Tom."

"I disagree, Laura. I have the Quorum firmly behind me."

**George Hammond**

Like their friends, Jack, Starbuck, Athena and Ronon found themselves encountering Cylons before they could reach the hangar. Starbuck and Athena managed to take out two, with Jack and Ronon taking over while the two Colonials reloaded, taking out another.

"We can't take them all!" shouted Kara. "We have to fall back!"

O'Neill wasn't prepared to lose ground to the Cylons. He knew they had to push them back. "Get down!" He took out a grenade, and pulled the pin, throwing it towards the enemy who were immediately blasted to pieces.

As the smoke cleared, the group came forward, examining the wreckage. Suddenly, a Cylon with only it's top half intact aimed at Ronon, firing and missing him by centimetres. All four people aimed there weapons at the half destroyed robot, finishing it off.

"Tough fellas, aren't they?" O'Neill quipped.

Kara smirked at the General's observation. "Too fraking right they are..."

**Galactica CIC**

"This is insane. I will not fire on these people without good cause."

Zarek smacked his fist off the table, angered by the Admiral's words. "You have good cause! Don't you see that?"

"We have no proof to say that the ship is under Cylon control. Firing now would be a massive leap of faith on my part, one I'm not prepared to take."

The Vice President was silent for a moment, before finally giving his reply. "Try communicating with them."

"What?"

Tom turned to Felix. "Try opening a channel with them Mr. Gaeta. If they don't reply, then we will have our answer." The manipulative politician shot the other man a look. Felix knew what he had to do. He began pushing buttons in front of him, before turning to Admiral Adama.

"No reply, sir."

**Daedalus**

Steven Caldwell sat, staring at the George Hammond, the other ship floating aimlessly in space. "I don't like this."

"Sir?" Major Marks turned to face his superior.

"Sitting here. Doing nothing when they're fighting over there."

"Well... There's not much we can do sir."

"Exactly." Caldwell replied. "That's what I don't like." His attention turned to the other ship once again. "We could have more enemy ships on top of us at any time... and the Hammond can't take any more nukes."

"We haven't picked up anything on sensors."

Caldwell continued staring. "Just have us ready, Major... I've got a bad feeling about this all..."

**George Hammond**

"We can't hold out much longer!" Apollo was attempting to get a good shot, but every time he turned the corner his head would come close to being blown off.

"We cannot break cover!" Teyla shouted from the other side of the bulkhead door. "We should consider falling back!"

Apollo and Vala agreed, and were about to run towards Teyla and Helo when the Cylons found themselves under fire from another angle. Using that their advantage, the group charged the Centurions, firing bullet after bullet into the large robots.

The four rounded the corner, guns raised, to be met by the welcome sight of Colonels Mitchell and Sheppard.

"Thank Gods..."

Cameron gave Apollo a strange look, before shaking the thought off. "Come on. We've got to get to the hanger, now."

**Galactica CIC**

"You have your proof, Admiral. Ready the nukes."

"You don't give the orders around here, Zarek" Adama barked back.

"Someone has to, if the Cylons get their hands on more advanced technology we won't have a leg to stand on. Galactica can barely defend against Cavil's Baseships as it is, can you imagine what would happen if they were all upgraded?"

"What the frak is this about, Zarek?" Roslin asked, angrily. "This is about more than just the Cylon incursion. You were so keen to make friends with them before when the Admiral jumped us away, and now that we are attempting to build relations, you've completely changed your tone."

"With all due respect, the situation has changed, perhaps your current condition has caused you to overlook that very obvious fact, Madam President."

"My son is on that ship. I am not going to attack it."

"I'm sorry Admiral but this is about a lot more than you or Lee, this is about the survival of the entire fleet. You cannot let that cloud you. We have a chance to eliminate this threat now." He stared Adama down. "Isn't it worth taking?"

**George Hammond**

"Status update?" Samantha Carter asked, not wanting to be without shields any longer than she had to.

"We should have shields back online within half an hour, Colonel. Hull damage appears to be minimal."

That was half an hour longer than Sam wanted to wait. "What about the General?"

"His teams are advancing on the hanger, but we can't pick up the enemy life signs... It seems they're doing alright, though." The Colonel smiled to herself. That was one piece of good news, at least. "Uh... Ma'am?"

"Yes Major?" Sam turned to the man sitting to her left.

"The Galactica is arming it's nukes, and I think they're aiming them at us."

She stared at the large ship outside. "What the... Open a channel, I want to know what they're doing."

After a few moments, Major Ross turned back to her. "No response..."

Sam leaned forward in her chair. "Tell the Daedalus to put themselves between us and the Galactica, just in case."

"Yes ma'am."

She paused for a moment, thinking. "This must be some kind of misunderstanding..."

"Sam?" Daniel stepped forward, wondering what his old friend was planning.

"I want to get to the bottom of this, Daniel."

**George Hammond F-302 Hanger**

"It's a heavy raider!" Kara shouted from the entrance to the hanger bay. "They're using it for cover!"

"I can't get a clear shot!" exclaimed Athena.

O'Neill thought for a moment, before turning to the Colonial women. "Are they in that ship?"

"Yes, I think so" Kara replied.

Without warning, O'Neill smacked a button on a control panel nearby, causing the doors to the hanger to lock down. "What are you doing?" Ronon asked, confused.

"I'm ending this now."

Inside the hangar, the Centurions stepped out from the cover of their Heavy Raider, marching towards the door where there enemies had been firing at them from mere moments before. All of a sudden, they left the ground, floating in mid-air along with their ship and everything else in the hanger. After a few moments of floating, the entire bay decompressed. The shield containing the artificial atmosphere fell, and the Cylons were violently sucked out into space.

In the corridor, O'Neill smiled. "Thanks Major. That should just about do it."

"No problem, General" Major Ross replied. "Recompensing hangar bay."

"Alright, what the frak just happened?" Kara asked. "I saw that hanger, it was open to space."

"No, it had a shield." O'Neill replied. "Now it's open to space."

**Galactica CIC**

Roslin stepped closer to Adama, trying to deter him from making a decision he would regret. "Admiral. We don't have to do this. We can't be sure that the ship has been taken by the Cylons."

"We can't afford to wait to find out, Admiral." Zarek countered.

Bill turned to Felix. "Mr. Gaeta. Try to establish communications with the George Hammond again."

Gaeta turned back after a few moments. "I'm Sorry Admiral. A link is being made, but there's no reply."

"It could be anything, Bill!" Tigh shouted.

His old friend looked at him. "All we know is that there are Cylons on that ship..."

"Bill..."

There was a brief pause. "Prepare to fire."

The room was silent for a moment, and Zarek smiled. "You've made the right decision, Admiral. You've saved the fleet."

"What's going on here?" Adama turned to see a blonde woman standing in the middle of his CIC, wearing a uniform similar to that of General O'Neill's. All guns in the room were immediately pointed at her. Despite this, she showed no signs of fear.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Colonel Samantha Carter, commander of the U.S.S George Hammond." Sam replied. "Our sensors indicated you were preparing to attack. I want to know why."

"Why didn't you respond when we tried to contact you?" Zarek asked, applying the annoyance he felt to his new situation.

"Excuse me? We didn't pick up any attempts to communicate. Our sensors informed us that you were readying your nukes. When we tried to communicate with you, you were the ones who didn't respond."

Adama turned to Felix. "What the frak is going on here?

"I don't know sir..." The other man lied. "There must be something wrong with the communications."

"You said you had established a link, Mr. Gaeta!" Carter watched in interest as the Admiral became more enraged.

"Uh... Yes sir, but..."

"You're lying." Zarek stopped Gaeta before he could finish. "Admiral, you cannot trust this man."

A look of shock crossed Felix's face. "Tom!"

"Cut the crap, Zarek" Adama stepped closer to the Vice President as he spoke. "Whatever this is, I highly doubt your hands are clean..."

Zarek paused for a moment, before making his move. "Marines!" His shout surprised the President and Admiral... but nothing happened. "Seize the Admiral!" Once again, no one moved.

"What the hell are you doing?" Adama asked, wrath in his voice.

Zarek turned to Gaeta. "Felix!"

"It's over, Zarek..." the other man replied.

**George Hammond**

General O'Neill stepped onto the bridge of the Hammond, with his team of friends and aliens in tow. They were surprised to see Colonel Carter standing in the middle of the room, with her crew sitting, staring at her. "Carter?"

Daniel turned to the General. "She can't hear you, Jack."

**Galactica CIC**

Colonel Carter stood in the CIC, surprised by what was unfolding before her. She had not expected to see what she had when she had decided to 'board' the Galactica. Tom Zarek and Felix Gaeta were now standing side by side, the guns once pointed at her were now facing them. "What made you think that destroying my ship would further your cause, Mr. Zarek?" Sam asked.

The man smiled, refusing to answer. Laura Roslin leaned forward, watching him. "Support." She replied for him. "If he destroyed your ship, and it turned out you had been wiped out by the Cylons, then he could take the credit for it being his idea..." Zarek's face told her she was on the right track. "... and if you hadn't been, he would twist the events to lay all the blame on the Admiral, losing us an ally but gaining the loyalty of all of our people for himself."

Tigh stepped closer to the traitorous man now. "I suppose you weren't expecting this to happen, you son of bitch." He motioned at their guest as he spoke.

"It was a gamble..." Roslin said.

"And it didn't pay off." Adama continued. "Take these men to the brig."

Zarek smirked. "Your men may have decided to give you a second chance, Admiral. They were more than ready to mutiny before we bumped into our... friends. But whatever you're going to do about this..." he pointed at Sam. "Choose wisely. Otherwise you're going to find yourself with a revolution on your hands."


End file.
